


Not Alone

by PhoenixAccio



Category: Hunt Down The Freeman (Video Game)
Genre: (it doesnt come up but like. he is), AND for filtering out airborne asthma triggers, Adrian Shephard Uses ASL, Asthmatic Adrian Shephard, Autism, Autistic Adrian Shephard, Autistic Mitchell Shephard, Gen, Homelessness, Mitch Is A Good Big Brother, Semiverbal Adrian Shephard, Underage Smoking, and only like a few words if he does, arguably a songfic since the prompt is the name of an hdtf music track, finally writing some mitch adrian childhood momence, gas masks are good for hiding if you're making eye contact/facial expressions, he does speak out loud but only very rarely, living out of a car, shephard bros live out of mitchells car :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixAccio/pseuds/PhoenixAccio
Summary: When Mitchell and Adrian's dad dies, they're both suddenly orphans and Adrian, who had still lived with his and Mitchell's father, needs somewhere to go. It's okay though, because Mitchell will keep him safe.Based off the prompt: "We're not alone"
Relationships: Mitchell Shephard & Adrian Shephard
Kudos: 6





	Not Alone

Mitch didn't know what to do. In the back of his junker of a car sat his baby brother, shaking and crying, while Mitch just leaned uselessly against the back wall sucking desperately at a cigarette as he tried to figure out what to do next. He wanted to be in there with Adrian comforting him, but the second hand smoke was bad for kids, he knew, especially if they were asthmatic like Adrian was, and Mitch needed the nicotine before he could deal with any of this. They were officially homeless, not just crashing in the car to wait out another fight, and Mitch... wasn't ready for this. For all his pretenses, he knew seventeen was too young to be taking care of a kid all alone. His chest ached. He didn't want to do this to Adrian, didn't want Adrian to have to sacrifice his at least somewhat normal life, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

Closing his eyes, Mitch pulled on the last of the cigarette, savouring the burn of smoke in his lungs as it burned down to the filter, before dropping the spent butt on the asphalt of the parking lot and grinding it out under his shoe. That was enough, Mitch thought. His brother needed him more than he needed to smoke. Mitch opened the back passenger door and swung his body inside to sit down across from his brother.

"Hey, kiddo," Mitch said, trying to sound comforting. Adrian was still crying, skinny little shoulders shaking where he sat, knees pulled up to his chest as he attempted to curl himself up in the smallest ball he could manage. Mitch couldn't see Adrian's face where it was buried in his own knees, but Mitch knew it would be tear-streaked and swollen by now. Pretty crying did not run in the family.

"Hey, we're gonna figure this out," Mitch reassured his brother. "It'll be okay, I promise."

"You were smoking," Adrian signed, not raising his head or moving at all except to free his hands to talk. "You only do that when we're in trouble."

Mitch sighed. Adrian was very perceptive. Normally, that was a good thing, but sometimes Mitch wished he could lie to the kid, at least sometimes.

"Adrian, bud…" Mitch rubbed his eyes, watching the kaleidoscopic patterns of pressure behind his eyelids as he tried to think of what to say. "You're too smart for your own good."

Mitch turned to sit in the chair properly, looking away from Adrian and putting his hand out on the seat between them as an offering of comfort, whenever Adrian is ready.

"I… don't know what we're gonna do. I don't know. This is-- I've never done this before. Not this much. I have a job, though, I can get a second one. You need to be at school," Mitch added, before Adrian, ever trying to take some of Mitch's burden, offered to look for work as well. "i'm gonna figure it out, kiddo. I promise."

Beside him, Mitch felt a small, cold hand cover his. Smiling, Mitch squeezed it gently. That was good. Gradually, as Mitch watched in his peripheries, Adrian crawled across the bench seat hand still in Mitch's to curl up against his side.

"Don't worry," Mitch told Adrian, murmuring into his brother's hair. "We're gonna be okay, we have each other, yeah?"

Against his side, Mitch felt Adrian nod. He rubbed the kid's back, deep pressure to help with the trembling fear that came off of Adrian in waves.

"We're not alone," Mitch said firmly. "We have each other. We always will, kiddo. I promise. I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
